Remember Inuya l Nate Gray love story
by MemoryWriter
Summary: Nate's best friend was Inuya, since she shared his passion for baseball. But then Inuya mysteriously dies, leaving Nate heartbroken. But years later when Nate's 15, Inuya returns, as her 8-year old self. Can Nate still care for her even though she's a kid
1. The 'Familar' Puppy Pt1

_Nate's best friend was Oriana Inuya, because they both shared a passion for baseball. But one tragic day, Inuya is pronounced dead, Nate's last memory being a coin. Eight years later, Nate finds out Inuya is back, half human, half puppy. But, as an 8 year old. Inuya has no memory, either and is faced with a desiese that prevents her from coming into contact with sunlight. Dramatic much? Is Nate falling for a an 8-year old, because Aiden his little brother is, too._

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**CHAPTER 1: The 'Familiar' Puppy Pt.1**

**--NATE'S POV--**

I was sitting up in my bedroom, throwing my baseball with my mit. If you could see me now, _then_ you could see how bored I was. It was a hobby of mine to throw my baseball whenever I was waiting. And I was waiting for my best friend, Inuya, to come over. We were two simple seven-year olds who just loved baseball. How we met was an interesting story.

Inuya and I knew each other as simple classmates in Kindergarten, but we didn't realize each other's love of baseball until 1st grade. School was holding a mini-league baseball tryouts, for the guys. And they didn't have a girls team for the 1st grade. And somehow, Inuya was able to fake her way into the try outs as a guy, which I found out when I accidentally knocked off her baseball cap, revealing her long black hair. But, I guess that's how we bonded. I tried desperately to keep her identity a secret throughout tryouts, and Inuya kept helping me with catching. I was the pitcher kinda guy, and Inuya could catch and hit. Kevin and Joe say we make the perfect team.

"Still waiting?" 10-year Shane asked, peeking in my room. I was only 8.

"You think?" I said back, sitting up in bed. "Is Inuya back yet?"

Shane shook his head. "I didn't see her yet. You try calling her?"

"You know Inuya doesn't have a cell phone."

"Then try her home phone."

"She doesn't have a home phone. Her dad turned it into a flower pot for their gerbil plant," I reminded. One more thing about the Inuya family, they just _love_ animals. And plants. Oriana Inuya is her full name. But she wants to be gone by Inuya instead. Her dad is a scientist professor, too.

Shane shook his head. "That girl gets weirder and weirder each day."

I chuckled, holding my baseball. Shane always saw Inuya as the weirdest girl on the planet.

"Come on. Let's go ask Mom if we can go visit Inuya instead," Shane said, motioning for me to follow. Being the little kid I was, I got up out of bed instantly and raced Shane down the stairs. Back in the living room I saw Mom folding laundry, Jason doing 8th grade homework.

"Hi Mom," Joe and I greeted, running down the stairs. I still had my ball and baseball mit.

"Hi boys," Mom greeted with a smile. "Nate you playing baseball again?"

"With Inuya," I grinned. "Can I go to her house please?"

"Honey I don't know."

"Don't worry! I'll go with him!" Shane said, hitting his chest with his fist independedntly.

Mom starred. ".... Now I really don't know," she said with an unsure look, making me and Jason laugh as Shane made a face of offence.

"I'll take them if you want," Jason said, down laughing and closing his books and getting up from the couch.

"Now you I can trust," Mom said with her hand, making me laugh again. Me and my two older brothers rushed out of the house after I put my glove and baseball in a messenger bag. I kept on running up front, urging Jason and Shane to go faster. I guess Inuya's hyperactiveness has rubbed off on me.

"This kid's real excited, isn't he," Jason laughed as Nate dragged him by his arm.

"I can only imagine Nate and Inuya as teenagers," Shane said looking up in the sky. His hands were crossed behind his head.

They eventually made it to the other side of the block. Inuya's house was right behind the Grays', a huge wooden fence separating them. The two families had a small door built in the fence so Inuya and I could get to each other faster. Little did I know, that was no longer a possibility.

Once her house was in sight, we saw a police car and an ambulance. Police tape was around the yard, separating the confused neighbors from getting any nearer. Didn't stop me though. I started running.

"Nate wait!" Jason shouted, running after me with Shane. I stopped behind the adults, who woudn't let me through. But who'd let a kid through anyhow?

"Nate don't run off like that. It's dangerous," Jason said, catching up to me.

"But Inuya," I whined, wanting to see what was happening. I turned my head and found an opening to the side of the house. I ran and went past the bushes. I put my foot on top of the hose faucet at the side of the house and jumped up, so I was standing on it. I gripped onto the window sill, peeking in. The entire house was trashed, like a tornado hit the place.

_'Inuya...'_

I didn't know what was going on. I wasn't able to imagine the worst case scenario. But, all I was thinking about, was where my friend was. Is she ok? My mind didn't even register that she could have been in danger.

"Let me go!" shouted Mr. Inuya, making me shoot my head back up, right when I was about to jump back down. I saw two police men dragging the doctor our from the basement door. That was Mr. Inuya's lab. But why were they taking him away?

I jumped back down, my messenger bag with my baseball stuff hitting against my side. I ran back out to the front of the house, seeing the two police men and Mr. Inuya walk out of the front door. I continued following them, trying to see through the crowd. Eventually I was able to get through the small line of people, and under the police tape. Shane and Jason caught this and ran after me, following under the tape.

"Mr. Inuya!" I shouted, running.

"Hey kid you aren't allowed here," said one of the police men, trying to keep me away from Mr. Inuya.

"Wait! Please! I just wanna talk to him!" I pleaded, sounding like a desperate child, which I was at the moment. But then I felt my arms be grabbed. I looked behind, seeing Shane and Jason holding me.

"We are so sorry officer, we sorta lost our little brother in the crowd, hehe," Shane said nervously.

"What's going on here anyway?" Jason asked, while he could.

"This man committed filicide," the officer replied bluntly, causing me to arch my eyebrows, along with Shane. But Jason's eyes simply widened.

"Huh?" I asked clueless.

"Alright, get out of here," said more police men, dragging me and my brothers back behind the police line.

"Hey wait a minute! Let me go!" I screamed, struggling to get free. I still wanted to find my friend.

"Nathaniel my boy!" Mr. Inuya shouted, getting one arm free, reaching into his pocket. "Here! Take this!" With that he threw a small silver object. It flew over the police tape, over the people. By then, he was already inside the police car, the door shut in his face.

I saw the object land in the grass at the next door lawn. I walked over and away from the scene. Then I bent down, reaching over, picking it up.

"A coin?" I said to myself. It was a silver shiny coin, like the size of one of those dollar coins. One one side was a paw print, and on the other it said _Remember_. And it had a small circle at the top, like it was a charm. I tilted my head to the side, wondering why Inuya's dad would give me this.

"Hey Nate, we need to talk," Jason said, walking up behind me.

"What about?" I asked innocently, placing the coin into the pocket of my messenger bag, almost forgetting my baseball and glove was inside.

"Um," Jason started. I could tell Shane was confused like me. "Let's go home first."

For some reason, I had a bad feeling about this. And Jason looked kinda upset, too. But just where was Inuya?

--

Shane and I were in the living room, alone, waiting on the couch. Jason was talking to Mom in the kitchen about something, the door closed.

"I guess this must be somethin' importante," Shane said, placing his feet up on the coffee table.

I was playing catch with my other baseball. I had my messenger bag with my stuff on my bed. "Why do you say that, Shane?"

Shane glanced at me. "Police, arrest, Jason talking to Mom privately, isn't any of this suspicious to you? At all?"

I tried to think... really. "Nope."

Shane sighed, patting my head like a dog. "You poor, silly child."

At that moment Jason came out of the kitchen.

"Hey what's up?" Shane asked curious as he sat on the couch across from us.

"I-It's about Inuya," Jason said, trying to keep calm. I could tell he was getting an uneasy feeling by simply talking.

"What about Inuya?" I asked, stopping playing with my baseball, holding it in my left hand. "Is she ok?"

"Well...." Jason sighed. "... No.... She isn't."

Shane and I looked up, finally getting how serious this was. We didn't know how, but it was like an arrow was just shot at us that woke us up to reality... whatever reality was right now. "What?" I asked.

Jason licked his lips, choosing his words carefully. "Do you two remember that word the police officer told us? Filicide?"

Shane nodded. "Yeah."

"What about it?" I asked, wanting to know what the word meant.

"It meant..." Jason started out. "It meant, i-in simpler terms, to kill a daughter."

"Jase where are you going with this?" Shane asked, hoping he wouldn't get the answer he was expecting. And I was actually understanding this.

Jason sighed, holding his head down with his hands folded. "Inuya was... killed by her dad."

Shane and I didn't move from the position we were in, too much tension to move. And at that very seconds, the baseball in my hand dropped to the ground in a loud thud. It rolled slowly across the living room floor, hitting the side table. My best friend... the girl I grew up with.... was dead?

"What?" I asked in a barely audible whisper, my eyes slowly getting watery.

Jason and Shane both looked at me. I had heard, but I couldn't believe. They too had watery eyes. My lip started to quiver as I clenched my teeth together. I didn't want to burst into tears. But, I couldn't hold it in. I got up and ran over to Jason, hugging him with my eyes buried in his shoulder. He hugged me back, just as tight. Shane came behind me, hugging too. The three of us cried, silently, but only my muffled sobs could be heard as they rubbed my back. I hiccuped, my shoulders went up and down, and I kept shaking my head.

"I-Inuya," I sobbed.

**-- 8 YEARS LATER**/**AIDEN'S POV**--

Hello, my name is Aiden Gray, the little brother of Nate, Shane, and Jason. It was late November now, winter coming in real soon. But, there was a mystery, a secret, that my family knew. But I didn't.

Haha, you should have seen what I did as a little kid to try and pry this secret out of Shane, Mom, Jason, and Nate. They almost gave in actually, except for Nate. He seemed the most sturdiest for some reason. But after a while I adopted the idea it was just because he's actually... sane?

I was downstairs eating breakfast with Shane and Jason, before having to get ready and go to school.

"Nate still asleep?" Jason asked, eating cereal like the rest of us.

Shane and I nodded. That was the most likely reason, considering Nate is always the late sleeper.

"Aiden you go check on him,"Shane said out of no where.

"Why me?"

"Because it's your turn," Shane replied while eating a spoonful of his cereal.

Being the 8-year old I was, I rolled my eyes and jumped off the chair, running out of the kitchen to head to Nate's room. As I ran through the doors of the kitchen though, I passed through a framed photograph that over the years blended in with the wall to my eyes. It was a small frame, the size of two hands. It was a simple dark brown wooden frame, with a picture of a little girl inside. It's been there ever since I could remember. Sometimes I think it's been there before I was even born, which is probably true.

I ran upstairs and saw Nate's door closed. I arched my eyebrows and quietly opened the door, peeking my head inside. I saw Nate asleep, sitting down beside his bed. He had a somewhat circled hand and his baseball mit on his other hand. The baseball was a few feet away, probably rolled over last night right out of his grasp.

I walked inside, careful to make sure the door didn't squeak. I walked over and sat on my knees, figuring out how I'd wake my big brother up. But then I noticed something shiny on the ground. I looked down and saw a silver coin, right beside his half open hand. It was like the coin dropped right out of his hand after he fell asleep.

I picked up the coin, seeing _Remember _on one end. I turned it over, seeing a puppy's paw print.

_'So this is the coin Nate always has with him.'_ I've always seen Nate with this. And he'd let no one see it.

Suddenly Nate started to stir, making me jump and place the coin on my pocket.

"Aiden?" his voice cracked, yawning with half open eyes.

"M-Morning," I stuttered, almost caught with the coin. "We're eating breakfast now."

"Okay," he said, standing up. "Tell the others I'll be down in a sec."

I nodded and ran out in a hurry.

--

I was back downstairs with breakfast, the coin still in my pocket. We heard Nate slide down the stair banister and into the kitchen. He was already dressed in a shirt with rolled up sleeves and jeans, his school bag slung over his shoulder. He rushed over to the toaster and grabbed the toast that popped right out at the perfect time, then holding it in his mouth.

"My toast," Shane said from the table.

"Someone's in a hurry," Jason chuckled, all of us watching Nate. "No surprise there though." Nate was always the first to leave early.

"Morning to you, too," Nate said, taking the toast out of his mouth then taking a bite out of it again. "Bye guys," he said, waving a hand to us then at the picture. He did that too a lot.

"Shane? Jason?" I asked once the front door closed. "Who's that in the picture?"

Shane and Jason froze up, Joe dropping his spoon in his glass of water. They both looked at me then at each other.

--

"But I wanna know!" I shouted as they pushed me out of the house, dressed and ready for school. But it was only 7:15 for heaven's sake!

"Sorry kid! Have fun at school, Aiden!" Shane shouted before slamming the door.

I sighed. Now I _knew_ something was up, especially with that secret. And that little girl was part of it. I then remembered the coin I had inside my pocket. I took it out, seeing it still shiny as ever. I lifted it into the air, holding it with two fingers. It made a mini eclipse of the sun in my eyes. But then, as if on cue, I heard barking, young puppy barking.

I snapped back into reality, looking around. No dog was found anywhere near. But then I heard it again.

"That sound."

I began following it, running down the block. This was the opposite way of going to school. Honestly, I've never gone around by myself, not even around the block. So I didn't even know my own neighborhood.

I continued following the barking noise. Eventually I was at a street that I didn't even know, even though it was so close to where I lived. But, the barking grew louder, my hand clutching the coin. I ran down the street and came up to an old abandoned house. The lawn wasn't as green, and the plants were whithering. The paint was peeling and the metal was rusty. The windows were boarded up with wood, too.

"Whoa," I said to myself. The barking continued, and I followed it to the side of the house. There was one window not boarded up. Actually it was open, it's small curtains flowing gently in the breeze. I saw a hose faucet right below it and jumped up on it. Then I reached the window and climbed in, following the barking.

"Ow," I said, having landed on the hard wooden ground. At least it wasn't a long fall. I got up and made sure my school bag was sturdy on my shoulder. It was odd though. The entire house was void of furniture or sunlight. Only from this one window. Almost looked haunted if you asked me. I looked around the house, looking for anything really. Only three rooms though. Two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Not even a kitchen. But, I guess the fridge and stove were ripped out or something.

But, inside one of the bedrooms was a single baseball. I picked it up. It was a bright yellow baseball with rainbow lines, instead of a white ball with red lines.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, looking at the dusty old baseball. It was then the barking resumed, making me turn around. I put the ball back down on the floor and ran out, following the sound again. I was back in the small main room, seeing a door I didn't even notice. It was half open, creaking. I licked my lips, wondering if I should even go down there. This wasn't even my house. I didn't even think this _was_ a house, at it's state.

But nonetheless, I went.

Peeking down the thing, I saw a few stairs. I turned on a flip switch I saw at the side, and the entire place lit up. I smiled and walked down the stairs. The barking was nearer than ever now. Finally at the bottom, which seemed to be yet another _empty_ basement, I looked around. It was the same size as the living room, a lot of boards of wood around. The barking resumed and led me to a portion of wall. I was trying to think what was so significant of this part of the wall, though.

Eventually, I sound a small in carving on the wooden wall. It looked like, a paw print inside a circle. It made me think of the coin.

"Wait, the coin!"

I pulled it out, and saw it was a mirror image. A slot for a key? I don't know.

I pressed the coin inside the mystery wall, and it started shaking once I took the coin back out. I stepped backwards and fell. But, the wood slid open, like a door, and something was sliding out itself. Like a metal and glass casket of some sort.

"I am so dead aren't I," I said, standing up wobbly. The glass lid opened up, letting out a bunch of this gas or smoke whatever. But it was cold. I got the courage to look, and I went around. There, I saw a small figure, covered by a white cloth that appeared to be a small simple white dress. I reached my hand out and took it. After a few seconds, I lifted it. And too my surprise, I found something I never thought I'd find.

There was a little puppy there, curled up in a ball, asleep, shivering. It looked like a tiny golder retriever that was probably only weeks old or something.

"Hey boy."

The puppy barked.

"Girl," I quickly corrected. And it was the same bark that led me here. I lifted her out of the thing and into my arms. She was surprisingly light for a puppy. Like a stuffed animal really.

"Aw... I can only imagine how long you've been in here," I said, looking around. She moved around a bit and snuggled up against the heat of my chest. "Come on, I'll take you to my house!"

After making sure the coin was back in my pocket, I noticed it was only 7:30. The guys don't usually leave for school until like 7:50 or something, so I had time. And Mom should have been at work by now.

--

"Shane! Jason!" I shouted, entering the house with the puppy still in my arm.

I saw Jason walk out of the kitchen with his bag. "Aiden why aren't you in school- Whoa." Jason looked down at the puppy. She was still sound asleep. I could feel her breathing. "...Aiden?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you carrying a puppy?" Jason asked, knowing we'd all get into some kinda trouble now.

"Can we keep her?" I asked hopefully. "I found her all alone and homeless."

"Doesn't she have an owner or something?" Jason asked, throwing his bag on the couch and kneeling in front of me.

Yes. A puppy in an ice cold coffin would have a good owner. "No. She doesn't have a collar. Can we keep her?"

"Aiden-"

"Please Jason? I'll take care of her!" I said happily, somehow feeling a strong connection with this puppy.

"Aiden dogs can be kinda tricky. Especially puppies," Jason said, making me give him a look. "And besides, I don't think Mom, Shane, or nate would agree with-"

"Cool! A puppy!" Shane shouted, running into the room then going on his knees, sliding up to me and looking at the puppy. Jason rolled his eyes and I laughed, sticking out my tongue.

"Can we keep her?!" Shane shouted, lifting the poppy into the air. She was now awake, somewhat. A little sleepy, but awake.

"Shane, please stop acting like a little kid-"

"Please????" Jason asked, lifting the puppy right up in front of Jason's face. "Can you say no to dis wittle fwace?" Shane asked in a baby face with a quivering lip, making me laugh again.

Jason tried not to look into the puppy's sleepy eyes directly, otherwise he'd probably give into his brothers' pleads. But in the end, he did see the puppy's eyes. Though, he didn't get a feeling of weakness from the puppy's eyes, but a feeling of nostalgia. As if he knew this puppy from somewhere. The image of sweet innocent little Inuya came into his mind, seeing the puppy and her shared the same eyes.

jason blinked his eyes closed, shaking his head to get the memory out of his head. It was hard enough for nate to forget. "We'll see how it goes."

"So it's a yes?" I asked, tugging on Kevin's shirt.

"I guess," Jason mumbled.

"Alright!" Shane and I shouted, high fiving each other.

"Now, onto other business," Shane said with clasped hands. "Who's got a collar?" he asked seriously, making Jason and I laugh.

"I got something," I said, pulling out the coin. Then I got a small red ribbon from the side table drawer and made it into a collar. I lightly tied it around the puppy's neck. A perfect fit.

"But Mom could get mad at us for even bringing an animal into the house," Jason pointed out.

"You never know," Shane said, putting the puppy on the carpet. She tried to stay standing. She tilted left and right before plopping onto the ground in a squeal, making us laugh. "See, she likes it here so much already she's willing to sleep on our floor."

"And what's the worst that can happen?" I asked with a shrug. "Mom won't come back until later. And Nate's already at school."

A cellphone started ringing. I think I jinxed the whole thing.

Jason reached for his phone and pressed the answer button. "Hello?"

"Jason, it's Mom," Diane Jonas said on the other line. "Listen, are you at school yet?"

"No. Shane, Aiden, and I are still here," Jason replied.

"And Nate?"

"Already at school," Jason said. "Why?"

"There's going to be a big storm tonight," Diane said. "So I'm going to be coming home early. Probably around 12:00."

"What?" Jason asked.

"Anyway, I want you guys to stay home alright? The entire city's gonna be flooded by lunch, and I don't want you guys at school," Diane said. "I've already called Nate. He should be home in a few minutes. I love you!"

With that, Jasonn flipped his cell phone shut.

"...Well?" Shane asked with a raised eyebrow. The puppy on the ground looked up at Jason, wanting an answer too.

"For one, Mom's coming home six hours early, and Nate's on his way home right now," Jason said bluntly.

"Great," I said sarcastically. Then there was a knock on the door. Most likely Nate. Geez what is up with today?!

"Uh!" I panicked.

"Quick! Hide Maria!" Shane said, giving me the puppy.

"Maria?" I asked with a weird face. "We are _not_ naming this puppy Maria. I want a wild name."

"Fine. We'll name her Jika."

"Too wild!"

"Just go!" Jason said, pushing me and Joe up the stairs.

The front door opened, revealing Nate with a confused face. "Uh.... hi," he said, seeing Jason breathing in and out. "Did you just run back home or what?"

"Y-Yeah. That's it. I ran all the way back here right before you did from school," Jason nodded, letting Nate in before mouthing help and closing the door.

"Hey Jase, did you see my coin?" Nate asked, throwing his bag onto the floor beside the couch.

"Your what?"

"That coin I always carry around?"

"Oh yeah. Your lucky coin," Jason remembered with crossed arms.

"It's not my lucky coin," Nate said. "There's no such thing as luck."

"Uh-huh," Jason nodded. He knew how Nate could sometimes be adult like sometimes. "Why? Did you loose it?"

"Yeah," Nate said with a worried face. "I know I had it yesterday night in my hand. But now it's gone."

"Maybe you dropped it somewhere up in your room," Jason suggested, scratching the back of his head now that he realized I must have taken the coin this morning. He was hoping that Shane and I had hidden their still unnamed puppy in a safe place. Until they heard two familiar voices.

"No Zora! Not in Nate's room!" Shane shouted as they heard thumping from upstairs.

"Her name isn't Zora either!" I shouted back.

Nate then started rushing to the top floor, Jason calling after him. Nate turned to head to his door, but then found Aiden and Shane blocking it. Yup, nothing suspicious about that.


	2. The 'Familiar' Puppy Pt2

_Nate's best friend was Oriana Inuya, because they both shared a passion for baseball. But one tragic day, Inuya is pronounced dead, Nate's last memory being a coin. Eight years later, Nate finds out Inuya is back, half human, half puppy. But, as an 8 year old. Inuya has no memory, either and is faced with a desiese that prevents her from coming into contact with sunlight. Dramatic much? Is Nate falling for a an 8-year old, because Aiden his little brother is, too._

**CHAPTER 2: The 'Familiar' Puppy Pt.2**

--**NATE'S POV**--

"Hey guys," I greeted suspicous. "Can you... move?"

"D-Do we have to?" Shane asked. "I mean, t-this is a very comfortable spot for us, right Aiden?"

"Yeah!"

I raised my eyebrow and pushed past them, going through my door. Before they could follow, I closed my door and locked it. I chuckled as they tried to open it. Shaking my head, I walked over to my head, only to find something under the covers. It was going up and down slightly, like breathing.

__

'Nate!'

My head jumped. The memory of Inuya had suddenly came into my head at that moment for some reason. But I shrugged it off and came closer to my bed. It was now I realized the skies were gray, filled with clouds as it started to drizzle. It'd eventually turn into this big storm tough, according to Mom anyway.

I gripped my hands on the covers and then threw them off, like the wind blowing off leaves. And there on my bed, I saw a puppy. And it saw me.

The both of us starred at each other with awkward looks, blinking our eyes. The guys should know I don't like anyone coming into my room, let alone a puppy.

"What the..." I said, dropping my hands with the blanket still in it. Normally I would have freaked out or screamed or, something. The puppy then looked up at me with these eyes, these, oh-so familiar eyes. My expression softened and I sat beside the puppy on my bed. I placed my hand on her head and petted her. She seemed to enjoy it.

"There's something familiar about you," I said. "But what is it?"

By now I had realized she had a collar. I turned her around to get a good look of it. I saw a charm at the end of the collar, a coin. My coin. "Hey," I said, looking at it on both sides. It _was_ mine. "Why do you have this?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. She didn't move much. Tired probably.

The rain was pouring outside by now. At the first strike of thunder, the puppy barked in a yelp and jumped off the bed. I watched worryingly as she fell of the bed, but she stood back up and scampered to my desk. She hid under my table and laid on the floor, two of her paws covering her head. I could hear her whimpering too.

I had another flashback of Inuya. She had this phobia of thunder, and would be scared to death by it, really. She was so scared that she'd burst into tears at times, scream on occasions. She would hide under places and covering her face or ears, whimpering.

I made a face, and walked slowly over to the puppy. I knelt down, and the thunder roared again. The puppy was quivering in fear still, her paws covering her eyes. "Inuya?"

Thunder clapped once again and the puppy ran into my lap. My arms went around her small delicate body, and my face was kept still. "Inuya."

She barked.

"Inuya."

She barked again, nuzzling into my chest. Whenever Inuya would be in the middle of a hiding from thunder, she' want to be in an enclosed space, a hug and blanket, a warm place. Something that made her feel secure and safe. I smiled faintly and stood back up. I walked over to my bed and laid myself in it. I pulled the covers over us and held the puppy in my arm like she were a teddy bear a little girl would hug tightly.

She whimpered and stayed near me, keeping warm. I didn't know how or why, but... do I really believe this is Inuya? I looked at a picture hanging across the room on my door, a picture of me and Inuya playing baseball. I focused on her smiling 5-year old face. "Inuya," I repeated, rubbing the puppy's head with my thumb. With that I yawned and drifted into sleep. I didn't usually sleep this early in the afternoon, but considering the circumstances, this seemed perfect.

--

"His door still locked?" Jason asked as they all watched TV in the living room. It was still raining, after all this time.

"Yeah," Aiden nodded as Jason sat next to him. "How do you think the puppy's doing?"

Jason shrugged. "Honestly I don't know. But it's quiet in there. Nate must be doing something right."

Aiden looked up. "And where's Shane?"

"UP HERE!" Shane shouted from upstairs, making Jason and Aiden jump, looking around. They went upstairs and found Shane picking at the lock on my bedroom door.

"Shane what are you doing?" Jason asked in a harsh whisper.

"Locking picking my brother's door," Shane answered. He then put away his mini tools and quietly turned the knob. He peeked in, Aiden and Jason looking inside too. They could see the rain railing outside the window behind Nate's bed. In fact, nate was asleep, half under the covers. But, there was a sleeping figure beside him. A little too big to be the puppy.

"Who's that?" Aiden whispered.

"I don't know," Jason replied. "When did that person get inside? Let alone into Nate's room?"

"I dunno," Shane started, walking inside fully. "But we're gonna find out," he said with a smirk.

Jason grew a worried look, knowing Shane was gonna do something. "Shane just don't yell. We don't want the boy to fall out of bed."

I laughed. "We all knew how that turned out."

Shane rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to make him fall out of bed, sheesh."

Shane walked over to Nate and the mystery person under the covers. He simply poked Nate's shoulder first, making his eyes open. "Wakey wakey, Nate-ay."

Nate turned on his back and looked at Shane with squinting eyes. "Shane?" he cracked, blining. The only other sound tha cold be heard was the rain dripping on the roof and outside. "What time is it?"

"10:00," Shane replied. "Who's that?" he asked, lifting a finger, pointing.

Nate looked in the direction Shane was pointing, and his eyes went down. He saw a figure sleeping in his bed and arched his eyebrows. He clearly remembered having the puppy sleeping in his bed, not... whoever this was. Nate lifted his arm and peek into the covers, his eyes widening and making him fall out of the bed with a yelp. Shane jumped back before Nate could land on his feet.

"Shane!" Jason accused, walking in with me.

"Hey I didn't make him fall!" Shane said with crossed fingers, like an x.

"Nate are you ok?" I asked, helping him back up.

"There's a naked girl in my bed!" Nate shouted, making me drop him back with a thud. I had the weirdest expresson on my face. You don't expect your 15-year old brother to say that when he wakes up.

"A what?" Shane asked, almost scared.

"There is a girl, under my bed, cloth-less. Get the picture?" Nate said loud and clear.

"You didn't do anything did you?" Jason asked, looking at the figure under the covers.

"What no!!" Nate panicked. "How'd she get here anyway?!"

"That's what we were gonna ask you," Shane said, about to keep inside the covers before Nate slapped his wrist.

"Well we can't just leave her here," I finally spoke up.

"Hey I'm not gonna wake her up," Shane said.

"Says the guy who was about to peek in there," Nate said with a wave of his hand.

"We need another girl's help," Jason said.

The four of us looked at each other, and blinked our eyes. We were thinking the same thing. "Anka!!!"

--**NATE'S POV--**

My brothers and I were waiting back downstairs in the living room. Our neighbor, Jason's classmate, Anka, was upstairs with clothes for our mystery girl. We sorta found it a miracle she could make it to our house with the weather outside. Mom was right to have sent us home early. And to think, I'd be having biology in class right now.

"So," Shane said, all of us bored. "How's life?"

All of us looked at him. Shane must have been _really_ bored. I was sitting at the base of the couch with my baseball. No surprise.

"Hey guys," Anka's voiced called, making us look up the stairs. Anka was a simple 18-year old. Orange-red waist long hair, a long braid on one side of her head. She liked wearing skirts and knee high socks too. Seemed like over the years she's grown accustomed to school uniforms that she bases all her clothes off them.

"How's the girl?" Jason asked as Anka walked towards us.

"Quiet," Anka answered, looking up once more before turning her head back at us. "Cute kid though. Who is she?"

"That's what we'd like to know," Shane said. "Can she walk?"

"She can. Come down here, sweetie!" Anka called. A girl poked her head out, somewhat scared and shy. A little kid, around 8-years old. Her hair was short, choppy, and black. She wore a long gray jumper with a red sweater underneath. The sleeves were a little long, so they covered her palms. She had no shoes or socks though.

"Down here, no one's gonna bit," Anka urged, motioning her hand. The girl finally came out from behind the wall and walked downstairs, holding onto the banister. There was something familiar about the little girl that I just couldn't remember.

The girl walked over to Anka, Anka holding her hand in security. "Can you speak?" Shane asked.

The girl simply nodded, clutching into Anka's hand with both hands.

"Can you tell us your name?" Shane continued. This time the girl shook her head no, making her hair move as well. Jason and Shane looked at each other while Aiden simply starred. I was starring as well, because there was something I noticed.

"Anka," I said.

"Yes Nate?" she said, everyone looking at me.

"Where did she get that necklace?" I asked. I saw a red ribbon with my coin on it. It was the same one that the puppy was wearing.

Anka shrugged her shoulder. "It was the only thing she wore. She didn't want to take it off either."

__

The collar

was what we were all thinking. But how?

"Wait," Aiden spoke up, narrowing his eyes at the girl. "She's the same one."

"Same what?" Jason asked.

Aiden jumped off the couch and ran off to the kitchen. After a few seconds he came back, a photo frame in his hands. He turned it around to us. It was Inuya's picture, the one we always keep there.

"It's the same girl," Aiden said seriously. It was true. They had the same face, same eyes. Except the girl's hari in the picture was long. But here, the girl had short choppy hair that didn't even reach her shoulders.

"Inuya," I said.

"Who?" Aiden asked.

"Inuya," I repeated, taking the picture and starrign down at it. I learned not to cry any tears after a while, because anything could remind me of Inuya then. "She was my best friend eight years ago."

"She was?" Aiden asked curiously, looking at the picture.

Anko smiling, nodding. "It's true. I remember all of us going to the park to play baseball, just for Inuya and Nate. Those two were addicted to the game, I tell you."

"What happened to her?" Aiden asked.

Everyone remained silent at first, before I spoke up. "...She died."

"Oh," Aiden said, now realizing why none of them would answer him before.

"Inuya," the girl spoke up sternly, making all of us look up. She had a serious look on her face, but she still held onto Anka's hand. "Inuya," she said again. She even sounded like Inuya. Could it be that....

"What did you say?" I asked, the most confused and desperate voice coming out of my mouth.

"I... Inu...ya," she said again, struggling with the word. "My name," she recited, two new words added to her vocabulary. More surprises kept coming up. "I remember... my name... is, Inuya." It was like she could barely speak English anymore.

But then it struck me.

This girl was Oriana Inuya.

I stood up, running towards the door. I grabbed my jacket and put my hood over my head in a hurry. Then my shoes.

"Nare where are you going?" Jason asked warningly.

"For answers," I said, running out the door and into the storm. I could hear my brothers calling for me behind, but I couldn't. I got my bike from the side of the house and started on my way. I needed to find Inuya's dad.

--

I was now waiting inside a building. Prison to be exact. To think, this was where Mr. Inuya was all these years. Makes me wonder how he is. Is he sane? Is he alive? He's always been a good father. And then he kills his daughter. But, she's alive. She's _in_ our house. Just.... how?

"Hey kid," said an officer. I jumped up, almost scared. I've never been in a prison before, let alone visited one. I arrived in one of those rooms with the see-though windows and the telephones that was used to communicate between prisoner and visitor. So this was what it looked like. I figured it'd be a lot more complicated. I mean, who let's a 15-year old boy waltz right in to visit a 'killer' who's been in prison for 8 years?

The man sat me down at a window, then another officer on the other wise sat down a man. Mr. Inuya, looking the same as ever. A little sad and emotionless, but not angry or hateful like most prisoners here looked. About all of them had glared at me as I was escorted here. He picked up the telephone and I did the same.

"Yes?" he asked unsure. It was only now I realized he probably didn't remember me.

"M-Mr. Inuya?" I asked. I could only imagine if this wasn't Inuya.

"Yeah. How do you know me?"

"It's me, your daughter's friend. Nate?"

"Gray?" he finished with raised eyebrows. "Nate my boy! You're all grown up! Look at you."

I chuckled and smiled. "You haven't changed a bit yourself, sir. How are you?"

"I've, been better," he laughed. "How old are you now? 13 15? Ah that doesn't matter. I'm just glad to finally meet a familiar face that's not on parol."

I smiled and nodded.

"So, you must be here for a reason," he said. "What's going on?"

"It's about Inuya," I said carefully. He didn't change his expression, but I could see the change of seriousness in his eyes.

"What about Oriana?" the ex-professor asked, using his daughter's first name.

"We've sorta.... had a little run in with her," I said, unsure of how to put this in words. _Hi, your daughter's back from the dead._

He smiled, his eyes closed. "So you've finally found her," he said with a sigh of relief.

"Huh?" I asked. Didn't expect that kinda reaction. "Are you allowed to explain here because, they're monitoring our phone calls," I reminded, making the both of us look behind, a bunch of police officers watching our every move. I laughed nervously, turning back to the professor.

"Nah I can explain. I've told the story millions of times but no one would believe me," he said with a shake of his head. "But you will believe me, won't you?"

I nodded faithfully. I had complete trust in the professor. He was like the father I never had.

"First things first though, you have to take care of her."

"Take care of her?" I asked. "I know that but how? She can barely talk, her hair's all cut up, she's all shy-"

"Oriana doesn't remember."

I starred at Inuya's dad for a second. Doesn't remember? "What do you mean?"

"I will tell you this, Nate. A little before this whole incident, Inuya came down with an illness. Have you ever heard of Xeroderma Pigmentosum?"

"Not, really," I said. What did he just say?

"Geez they don't teach you anything at school anymore," Mr. Inuya said with a roll of his eyes. "Put in simpler terms, it's a disorder that means the person can't be exposed to sunlight. It's like a vampire thing, except Inuya doesn't grow fangs and bite people."

"Wait Inuya has that?" I asked.

He nodded. "It happened only a week before my arrest. Inuya was getting worried about herself. She's been growing weaker, more unstable."

"I didn't notice it at all, though," I said, shaking my head.

"Because of a vaccine I gave her," Mr. Inuya said. "It got rid of her skin discoloration, gave her back her energy, it let her live a normal life under the sun. But soon enough the illness overcame her, and she collapsed on the front lawn, that one day. She was on her way to your house, if I'm correct. She had taken her medicine, and heeded my warnings about staying the sunlight for too long. But... I guess the vaccine no longer worked."

I was listening intently. After so many years, I was finally getting the real side story of what happened that day.

"So I took her down to my lab. Turns out she was dying. Her breathing was slowing down, her skin all frail and cold. My poor daughter. She did nothing to deserve it."

That was just what I was thinking. Inuya was an innocent girl.

"So, I did the last thing I could think of to save her life," Mr. Inuya said. "I dressed her, in a small white sundress. And I cut her long hair short."

That explained it all for the most part.

"But then, to try and succumb the disease, I injected the DNA of a golden retriever, into her blood," he said, making my face grow pale. A dog's, DNA. How does that help her anyway?

"Then I placed her in a sleeping chamber, suspended animation," the professor continued. "Inuya was put into a deep deep, cold sleep. Her body was preserved in the cold, for so many years. She didn't age."

Was that...even possible? No wonder no one would believe him.

"I hid her away in my lab in a hidden chamber. And that coin I gave you," he reminded me. "Was the key."

"The key to what?"

"The key to unlock the door, and reveal the container which held my daughter," he said. "She must have been found. How else would you have known about her?"

I sat back in my chair, still in shock. I was surprised I didn't drop the phone yet. "What should I do?"

"Take care of her," Mr. Inuya said with a gentle smile. "Until the memories can return to her, you must protect her. She is very vulnerable. She doesn't know anything."

"She remembered her name after a little bit," I remembered, Inuya having struggled to even say a couple words. I looked up at the professor and nodded. "I promise to take care of her."

"That's my boy," he said proudly, making me smile. "I'm going to be out of here in no time, Nate. They'll let me out within due time. But until then, watch her."

"Will do," I assured. With that we hung up, and they took him away. I let out the breath I've been holding in this whole time. "This is gonna be some freshman year."

--

I was biking home now. And the storm only worsened. I was soaked to the bone too. I didn't even know if I was going to make it.

"Almost there," I muttered to myself, peddling as fast as I could. I was at the end of my street now. But my bike hit a rock and I was thrown off onto the slippery street. I landed hard, unable to get up.

--**AIDEN'S POV**--

"Where do you think Nate is?" Shane asked, looking out the window.

"I don't know, but I'm getting worried," Jason said, pacing. "He didn't even bring his phone. So we can't contact him."

Shane chuckled. "Mom's gonna kill us when she finds out all this."

Anka and Jason gave Shane a glance. Meanwhile, I was on the carpet floor, drawing with the girl Inuya. She was quiet, even though I tried to talk to her. She would merely nod yes or no.

Inuya put down her crayon, making me look at her. "Are you finished with your drawing?" I asked.

She nodded with a stern look of concentration on her face. It was like talking with an obedient 3-year old.

"Can I see?" I asked, curious to see what she drew.

Inuya nodded and turned her paper around. It was a drawing of me and her. It was a doodle of crayon, so it wasn't exactly extravagant, but it looked, nice. Child nice. It was a drawing of me holding her as a puppy in the lab.

I smiled, taking the paper. "Is that me?"

She nodded, a small smile on her face. That was the first time she had smiled. Suddenly, he head perked up. She looked towards the door, where you could hear the rain beating on it like a thousand knocks. She sprung up, running to the door. She gripped onto the door knob, trying to open it. It was locked though.

"Inuya what are you doing?" Shane asked, watching the child struggle.

"Open, open, open!" she whined, pulling and turning with all her might. She sure was determined. "Outside!"

"Inuya you can't go outside. It's raining," Jason said.

"Needs help!" she strained, making us look at her again. "He needs help!" she repeated. But, who was he?

"Who needs help?" I asked.

She gave up on the door and looked around. She found a baseball on the floor beside her and picked it up, running over to me. She showed it to me. "Needs help!" Inuya said again.

Then I realized. It was Nate she was refering too. I didn't know how she knew he needed help, but for some reason I trusted her.

I jumped up and ran to the door too. I unlocked it and we both ran out. I could see Shane and Jason try to run after us, but the door slammed in their faces due to the wind and rain. Inuya held my wrist as she dragged up up the street on the sidewalk. It was kind of a depressing setting. There was water everywhere, everything gray. No sunlight could be shown either.

Eventually we stopped and Inuya turned. She lifted her free arm, pointing. "Needs help."

I looked through the pouring rain and saw two figures. A fallen bike, and... Nate!

"Nare!" I shouted. I ran, Inuya coming after me. We bent down next to Nate, trying to wake him up. "Nate! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Wake up! Wake up!" Inuya repeated, shaking his arm too.

We saw a light in a distance at the end of the street. A car. A no way would it see us through this storm.

"Nare get up please?!" I shouted, getting scared.

"Wake up Nate!" Inuya shouted, saying Nate's name for the first time.

Nate's eyes slowly opened, blinking. "Inuya? Aiden?"

"You're awake!" I shouted with a grin.

We all heard a honk, the car speeding up.

Nate's eyes widened and he jumped up, grabbing Inuya and me. He jumped to the ground on the sidewalk, the very moment the car came, showing no sign of stopping. We looked back, seeing Nate's bike totaled. And to think, that could have been Nick.

Inuya and I looked at Nate, who looked at us. Nate hugged the both us us, glad we were all safe.

--

"Achoo!" Nate sneezed, a blanket over his shoulders.

"You're an idiot, you know?" Jason said, trying to warm his brother up,

"Thanks Jason. That helps me feel better," Nate said.

"What happened anyway?" Anka asked, bringing in some soup.

"I guess I fell off my bike in the middle of the road," Nate replied. "Luckily Aiden and Inuya got to me before I got run over."

"How'd you guys know Nate was in trouble?" Shane asked me.

I shrugged. "It was Inuya, really. I don't know how she knew either," I said truthfully.

"Well you two make a good team," Anka smiled, making me smile too. Nate nodded with a faint smile. He was thankful that his brother and old best friend worked together, to save him, but he couldn't help but feel a tiny string of jealousy.

"Where is Inuya anyway?" Shane asked.

As if on cue, a puppy ran in from the kitchen, a paper in per hands. It was Inuya.

"Hey, she's a puppy again," Shane said, making Anka give them all a weird look. I forgot Anka didn't know this part yet.

In Inuya's mouth was a paper. She jumped up onto Nate's lap, giving him the paper. Nate looked at the paper, smiling.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

Nate continued smiling, hugging the puppy with his other arm. "Nothing special," he replied, putting the paper down so no one else would see. It was actually a new crayon drawing Inuya made. It was of two people with a park background. The grass and tree was outlined in green, and there was a boy outlined in blue and a girl outlined in red. And beside the boy was a baseball, while a bat was beside the girl. If anything, it proved that Inuya did remember him somewhat, and she was capable of remembering more, eventually.

"Welcome to the family, Inuya," I said, petting her head. What the heck am I getting myself into?

* * *


End file.
